Flow control valve



ot.1,1946. Q A, -KEHLE 2,408,562

FLow CONTROL VALVE Filed May 28, 1943 036 iq' E o 7/29 Uff/wif? WL Patented Oct. 1, 1946 fFLovveoN'rRenvnI-NE Ottmar 1A: Kehle, rliti-est Los'Angeles, Galif., asv signor Yto Adel Precision Products Corp., a corporation 'ofCalifoi-nia mentation-linges, isnt-serai Nafiissteze 'e' 'chime (ci. zwi-2o.)

'This invention relate's' to valves for controlling the rate o'f flow Iof uid from a pump` for vother fsource 'of supply under pressure to a :point of applicatbn o'r use ofthe iu'id.

An object of my invention is 'tov provide 'a now vcontrol valve unit `suchV as'clescribed which is' comparatively small, c'ompa'ct, light asl to weight, simple 'as-to construction 'and most reliable'as to 'operationfor effecting the flowvof anti'- -icing uid at variable rates rforapplication to "those .parts `of an vaircraft Where ice is likely to form, o'r on 'which `parts ice` has formed and may be' removed upon' application of 'the fluid thereto; said valve unit'being of course applicable to hydraulic and other systems'` Where isimilar ow control is "desired,

Another object of -rny invention iS to vprovide a valve unit vsuch as described rwherein-`afnovel arrangement of valve members and anA especially designed operating meansA rmake it possible .to eiect a ready and most reliablelcontrol vof the now of variable amounts of fluid at the will of the operator with provision forsetting the operating means tol cause a, uniform norm-al flow from the valve unit, say at a ratel of -four lgallons or less per hour for preventing the formation of ice on the serviced part crparts, 4or quickly manipulating the operating means to lcause a greatly increasedemergency flow .should the Woccasion so demand, say double `rthe -normalyrate c f now,- the operating Atmeans when released from the emergency -flow :position Yautomatically returning to saidifnormalflow :position finger-1e embodiment of my invention and to the off'rqr'neutral position infanother em'bodir-nentofY my Vinvention.

Another object ofmy invention is to :provide a valve unit of the character `describedhaving twooutlets each controlledV by a valve-and an operating means common to the valves and in clu'ding a single handle movable fromva neutral position into normalflow positiontolcause but one valve to open, and into an emergency Vilkzw' position in 'which btl vvalves will be ,which a novel 'construction vland arrangement of l2 plurality of 'such units for independent, Aoperation with one of the units receiving thepressure lfluid from the pump'and'supplying theguid to each of the other units, ythereby eliminating faseparate fluid Vsupply line foreach unit;

With the foregoing objects in View, :together With such vother objects and advantageswasemay "subsequently appear, the invention resides in 'the partsV and in the combination; construction vand arrangementv of parts yhereinafter described-fand claimed, and illustrated by' w'ay vof "examplefin the 'accompanying Adrawing', in which:

Fig. 1 isa front elevation fofa control valve `unit embodying my invention;

V'Fig. 2 is 'a verticalsectional View taken'gon -the .line 2-2 of Fig. 1.;

Figi 3 isat'o'p plan view ofthe valve'unitshown in Figs. 1 and 2;

Fig. 4 is 'a fragmentary 'toplplan view of'two of my valve units coupled together'in'faccordance rwith this invention;

Fig. is'a'diagrammatic View showing 'the ap,- plication Yof 4my valve unit Ito an aircraft anti'- :icing System.

liig. 6 is -a 'fragmentary :side elevation, partly Vembodying my invention.

Referring tothe drawing morespecicallmlparticularly '1 to 3 inclusive, it fis "seen 'that one -foi'm ofrny flow 'control valvefunit includes a rectangular body member i navings'paeeapar'- allel valve receiving bores 2v zaini.4 3' extending transversely therethrough and p'rovi'ded'with outlet ports 4 and r'5 extending longitudinally of the body member from 'p'oi'nts intermediate the ends of the respective'bores to opposite :ends of v.the body7 member.

As here provided the bore v2 h'as auid'intake connection '6 4screwed into'on'e' end '.thereo'fthrough which fluid Aunder .pressure is deliveredv to 'said bo're whereas the corresponding'end'of the `bore 3 is closed by ascrew plug 'L Eluidlthus-delivered to Ythe bore 2 passes through ainfi'ntercorr'i- -municating'port 8 into the fbore 3 `Wnereby'tne one intake kconnection vsupplies beth' valve bores 'with flui'cl"1nder pressure. "I-h'e' intercomnufrii; catingport' 8 .is exten-ned transversely through the body 'member `l at rightfangies"tothe-bores 2v and 3 butt/'is L'so fpo'si'tionedftl'lat it bridges "the space between and thereby connects s'aiilie's, the ends of this -polt being lclosedand' :sealed-by means fof' portions 'of angular "brackets 9\ and sealingrings I0. These brackets are removably secuidto 'the body feinber I by means of bolts I3 affording the mounting thereof on a suitable support (not shown). This arrangement of the port 8 and the brackets 3 makes possiblea ready and ecacious coupling or stacking of two or more valve units as shown in Fig. 4 and as will be hereinafter more fully described.

Valves I4 and I5 have stems of uniform diameter mounted in the bores 2 and 3 for controlling the flow of iiuid from said bores into the outlet ports 4 and 5. These valves are urged by springs I3 to seat against the inner ends of tubular valve seat member Il snugly fitted in the bores 2 and 3 and having marginal flanges I8 abutting annular shoulders I9 in said bores. Ports 2B are provided in the seat members I'I to afford communication of the diametrically enlarged inner portions of the bores of said seat members with the outlet ports 4 and 5 respectively.

Stems 22 and 23 for the valve members I4 and I respectively, extend through the seat members I l and openings 24 in a plate 25 secured by 'screws 25 to one side of the body member I. This plate closes the adjacent ends of the bores 2 and 3. Expansible sealing rings 2l surround the valve stems between the outer end-s of the seat members Il and the plate 25 there being crowding rings 28v between the seat members and said sealing rings.

Each of the valves I4 and l5 as here shown -comprises a flanged head 23 formed integrally 'with and being of larger diameter than its stem, and a cup-like valve member 33 of yieldable material such as rubber or synthetic rubber which 'encompasses said head so as to present an annular supplementary seal against the associated seat member Il' while surrounding the head 25 which i..

also engages the seat member. .The head 29 iits snugly in the socket afforded by the member 33 land securely holds said member on the head. A boss a on the member 3!) acts as keeper for the vassociated spring I6.

In accordance with this invention the outer 'ends of the valve stems 22 and 23 project beyond -the plate 25 so that they may be engaged by valve operating means including cam surfaces 3I and v32 and a crank arm 33. These cam surfaces andi "the crank arm are provided on the inner end of a handle 34 pivoted on a pin 35 carried by flanges 38 on the plate '25. The handle 34 is held in proper position on the pin 35 by means of a spacer `sleeve 37 and a spring 38 as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, said spring holding the parts against rattling. .In its neutral or off position the handle 34 ex- .tends downwardly andA outwardly from the pivot end 35 as shown in full lines in Fig. 2, and the cam surface 3l which is planar, is disposed at an angle to the outer end of the stem 23 of the valve I5 and close thereto while the crank arm 33 is spaced well outwardly from the valve stem 22 of -the valve I4, both said valves being then closed.

In order to set the valve unit for a normal iiow of anti-icing uid, the handle 34 is lifted so that the cam surface 3I engages the stem 23 and moves it to unseat the valve I5. When the corner of the cam surface farthest from the handle 34 becomes approximately centered on the end of the .stem 23, the handle and cam means will be held lin position in which the valve I5 is unseated and so remains until the handle is moved into emergency iiow position or back to neutral position. When the valve I5 is open the pressure uid will 4flow from the bore 2 through the port 8 into the bore 3 past the open valve I5 and out through the -outlet port 5, the valve I4 remaining seated. y When the handle is lifted into emergency kiiow position the convex cam surface 32 rides against Cil the end of the stem 23 and opens the valve I5 maintaining it open while the crank arm 33 engages the stem 22 and opens the valve I4. Both valves are now open and uid will flow through the bores 2 and 3 andout through the two outlet ports 4 and 5 thereby delivering a greater amount of fluid for an emergency servicing of parts or part to be de-iced. The emergency operation requires that the operator hold the handle in its uppermost or emergency iiow position as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2 and upon release of the handle the spring for the valve I4 will push the handle back to normal flow position thereby moving the cam 32 olf the stem 23 and disposing the cam 3| in position to hold the valve I5 open while the valve I4 is closed.

A feature important in this valve unit is that the intercommunicating port 8 serves the purpose of connecting the bores 2 and 3 with one another and facilitates the coupling or stacking of two or more units together in an efficient manner as shown in Fig. 4. To do this the angular brackets 9 on the valve units are removed and the units then placedfside by side with their ports 8 in registration. Two of the plates 9 are then put back on the outer sides of the units to cover the outer ends of the connected ports 8, and longer bolts are inserted through the body members, the bolt holes thereof being also aligned, and the two units are thus coupled for independent operation except that the supply of pressure fluid passes from one to the other of the units through the connecting ports 8 and but one supply line connected to one of the units need be used. With 'the plurality of valve units thus stacked, different portions of the aircraft maybe serviced at will and the units are compactly mounted and take up but little room, it being unnecessary to run more than two fluid lines from each unit except the one to which the fluid supply line is connected. Furthermore, a distinct advantage results from the u-se of the particular type of intercommunicating ports 8 in a series of valve bodies stacked as aforesaid, because the aligned ports 8 provide a straight unobstructed passage through the intermediate units of the series. This advantage results from the fact that only opposite side portions of said port 8 communicate with the passages to which they deliver the incoming fluid.

Fig. 5 shows a diagram of a typical anti-icing system as used in aircraft as when operating to "supply a normal ow of fluid, and which includes a reservoir A, and a pump B for delivering fluid vthrough a supply line C to a control valve unit D embodying my invention. Line E leads from the normal flow outlet port 5 of the unit D and line vF leads from the emergency outlet port 4 of said unit and said lines have a common outlet G where it is desired to apply the fluid. A relief line H leads from the supply line C back to the reservoir and is provided with a relief check valve J allowing excess fluid to ow back to the reservoir. In the lines E and F are metering or restrictor valves K and L set to allow fluid to ow through said lines at predetermined rates, the valve K being, for'example, set to allow a flow of one gallon per lhour or less and the valve L a flow of from eight to twelve gallons per hour. These valves are set to allow the requisite amount of fluid to be applied dcpending upon the size and other charac- -teristics of the part of the plane to be serviced. vWhen the two valves of the unit are opened maximum iiow takes place to the part or parts being serviced but ordinarily a lesser flow is normally applied by vopening but one of the two valves of parts are otherwise identified. Thus, the operating handle is designated45 and is pivoted on a pin 46 on the valve body in the same manner as shown in Figs. 1,2 and v3, and has a planar cam surface 41, and a crank arm 48 for engaging f the stems of the two valves.

When the handle 45 is in neutral or off position it extends substantially at right angles to the major axis of the body member of the unit. The planar cam surface 41 is then disposed close to the stern 23 and substantially at right angles to the axis of the stem while the crank arm is spaced from stem 22. The spring of the pin 46 operates tok hold the handle in this neutral position.

Upon depressing ther handle 45 into the lowermost dotted position as shown in Fig. 6 the' cam` surface 41 engages the stem 23 and unseats the valve l5 and when the corner 49 of this cam surface is centered on the stem the operating means will remain in normal flow position maintaining the valve l5 Vopen while the valve I4 is closed. v

To effect an emergency or full iiowA operation of the unit, both valves are opened by raising the handle 45 into the uppermost dotted position shown in Fig. 6 whereupon the corner 56 of camsurface 41 will center on the stem 23 for the valve l5 and maintain said valve open while the crankl arm 48 engages the stem 22 and moves it to unseat valve I4. While the handle is held by the operator in this emergency flow position, the two valves are held open and uid flows from the two outlets 4 and 5 in maximum volume to the part or parts to be serviced. On release of the handle 45 the spring for the valve I4 returns the handle to off position shown in full lines in Fig. 6. This form of my invention diiers from the first described form only in that the handle is movable from an intermediate position in which both valves are closed, in either direction and must movev through the off position from normal ow to emergency flow position and vice versa, Where--y as with the handle shown lin Figs. 1, 2 and 3 the movement is progressive Vfrom the lowermost andv off position, rst to normal flow andv then to emergency flow positions. I

While I have shown and described specific embodiments of my invention I do not limit myself to the exact details of construction set fortlnand the invention embraces such changes, modifications and equivalents of the parts and theirformation and arrangement as come within the purview of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a uid control valve unit, a body member Y having a pair of valve-receiving bores therein in a parallel adjacent relation to each other, means for intaking fluid under pressure into one of said bores, an intercommunicating port extending through said body member and so positioned that its width bridges the space between said bores at a point intermediate of its ends to afford the pas- 1 sage of pressure fluid from one to the other of said bores, closure means to overlie a side of said body member for closing either of the ends of said inl tercommunicating port, an outlet port for each bore, valves in said bores for controlling the iiow of fluid therefrom into-said outlet port, spring means for seating said valves, operating means mounted on said body member for opening said valves, and bolts to cooperate with said closure means whereby two or more identical control valve units thereof may be coupled'together with the aforesaid intercommunicating passages rthereof in registration with one another.

2. In a ow control valve unit, a body member having a pair. of valve-receiving bores extending transversely therethrough in spaced relation to one another, means for intaking fluid under pressure into vone of said bores, an intercommunicating port extending transversely through said body member from one outer surface thereof to an opposite outer `surface thereof and having between its ends an intermediate portion which bridges the space between said two valve-receiving bores whereby pressure fluid will flow from said one bore to the other bore, outlet ports exr scribed, a plurality of valve bodies abutting each other and extending in alignment in one direction, each of said bodies having through it a pair lof adjacent parallel bores extending at right angles to the aforesaid direction, an elongated valve structure in each of said boresv extending axially of the bore which it occupies, each said valve structure comprising a spring tending to close it, a head at one end which occupies a diametrically enlarged end portion of the bore which contains such valve structure and a stem which carries saidv head and occupies the opposite end portion of said bore, there being an annular passage around-said stem adjacent to said head, and an outlet laterally communicating with said passage, said head controlling admission of fluid to one end of said passage, each of said valve bodies having through it a horizontal intercommunicating port consisting of a bore the width of which spans the space between the aforesaid adjacent enlarged end portions of said valve-containing bores and thereby affords communication between the latter bores, said intercommunicating ports alining with each other to form a valve body, means operatively related to'the projecting portions of said valve stems to operate the valves, inlet means for atleast one of said valve bodies communicating with at least one of its said diametrically enlarged bore portions, and

closure means forthe outer ends of said intercommunicating ports at each end of the assemn Ab led valve units.

i OT'IMARl A. KEHLE. 

